The sultan is an autocrat (and a spendthrift), but he affects an enthusiasm for the arts.

苏丹是一个独裁者(是一个挥金如土的人)，但他却对艺术很热忱。

That irritated credit-card firms, which claimed that spendthrifts abused the system; so in 2005 the law was toughened.

这激怒了信用卡公，并声称，“败家子们”滥用了系；此2005年，法律变严格了。

The clerk then felt the lowliness of his position; he longed for epaulettes, crosses, titles. All that would please her—he gathered that from her spendthrift habits.

于是实习生自惭形秽了。 他羡慕肩章、勋章、头衔。 她当然喜欢这一套：看她花起钱来大手大脚，不就一目了然了吗？